Tag Archives | SME

One in every 23 people in Ireland (aged 18-64 years) is a new business owner according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2016 Survey of Entrepreneurship in Ireland which has just been published. These figures are similar to the US and high compared to European countries. Enterprise Ireland, supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise […]

If you build it they will come? Not necessarily says website developer Alan O’Meara, who argues that online businesses must use a range of techniques to drive ‘online footfall’ to their digital doors. ‘Get a website up. Tick a box. We’re done – let’s see what happens’. Nothing will happen if you wait and see. Last […]

Trading Online isn’t just a bonus. For some people it can mean the difference between making a sustainable living, or not. Landscape Artist Cora Murphy used to work to a traditional business model: exhibiting in galleries, who took a commission on her sales. But she found that, for her, it simply didn’t generate enough income to make […]

Voting is underway on a shortlist of 30 SMEs to decide on the companies who will share in the 2016 OPTIMISE Fund run by the IE Domain Registry (IEDR). It’s now over to the public to choose 10 winners from the 30-strong shortlist, with the remaining five winners selected by an independent expert panel. Voting opened on Friday […]

Over 80 companies are finalists in The Blacknight SME Awards in Cork this weekend, and technology and innovation are at the core of many of them. Most can be found in the ‘New Business – Digital’ category which is sponsored by Microsoft Ireland, but the list also includes long established digital and online businesses which […]

60% of companies allow BYOD (bring your own devices) in the workplace, and another 14% intend to introduce BYOD policies within the next year, according to recent research. Studies indicate that BYOD offers benefits to both companies and their employees, though concerns remain about security. Orla Forrest from Neon SMS in Cork has put together […]

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, The Blacknight SME Awards carried out a survey this week of the spouses and partners of SME owners. The results confirm that entrepreneurship can be challenging for couples, while family support is seen as an essential resources for SMEs. “If the people at home don’t believe in the project, they may as well call it […]

Michele goes on something of a patriotic rant on this week’s podcast – well it is the centenary of the 1916 Rising. “Forget about these bloody multinationals who are set up over here and have absolutely no loyalty or ties to the country. What about the Irish companies built on the blood and sweat of Irish […]

This podcast was recorded yesterday evening in Michele Neylon’s office at Blacknight HQ. The Google re-organisation was announced later, so we don’t talk about it here. But there’s plenty more to talk about – and we got briefly sidetracked into talking about Denis O’Brien and his efforts to stop people talking about him. Good luck with that. Click on […]

Ireland’s SMEs have lagged behind internationally for the ability to accept payments online, but they are catching up fast, says Paul Dunne of Realex Payments. He was speaking at a free seminar for SMEs organised by Mulley Communications, in conjunction with the recent Blacknight SME Awards. Setting up an account with Realex Payments is as simple […]